CONCACAF Champions League throws up shocks and surprises

A dramatic CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 (second leg) games concluded on Thursday with yet more shocks as 2022 Liga MX champions Pachuca were eliminated at home by Honduran outfit Motagua. A 89th minute penalty for the visitors supplying the vital away goal after the first leg ended 0-0 in Tegucigalpa.

Pachica’s elimination at the hands of the LNF Honduras side was just another chapter in a week that saw the tournament deliver plenty of shocks and upsets.

Violette stun Austin

Haiti’s Violette Athletic Club delivered one of the biggest upsets in recent memory as the dumped MLS side Austin FC out of CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 despite losing 2-0 in the second leg.

Hailing from Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, Violette were forced to play the first leg in the Dominican Republic and struggled to raise a team for the return leg in Texas.

Before playing the first leg, Violette had not played an official match for almost ten months due ongoing complications in Haiti with their last official match coming in the final of the Caribbean Club Championship, when they beat beat Cibao from the Dominican Republic on penalties.

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For the game in the States, the US failed to grant visas for many squad members leaving coach, Rony Attimy, without without five key starters. The Haitian team traveled to Texas with only 12 regular first teamers leaving the club to hastily sign new players given that they initially had an insufficient numbers to be able to fulfil the fixture, according to the competition regulations.

With a surprise 3-0 first leg advantage, Violette managed to resist the Austin siege with the MLS side having 76% possession, making 35 shots, 14 of them on target and failed to complete the comeback with just a 2-0 win.

Violette, who have won six Haitian Leagues and seven Cups and now will face Liga MX side Club León who overcame Tauro from Panama.

Orlando City exit

The Florida based side were handed a tough draw being pitted against Liga MX powerhouse Tigres UANL and despite securing a creditable 0-0 draw in Nuevo Leon, the MLS outfit were also eliminated via the away goals rule (which is still in use in CONCACAF club competitions) after Sebastian Cordova put the Mexicans ahead in the 21st minute. A last minute equaliser from Ercan Kara offered a glimmer of hope to the home fans and despite a late onslaught the Liga MX side stood firm to secure the draw that sets up a quarter-final clash against Motagua.

CONCACAF Champions League: quarter-final

home legs to be played April 4-6, away legs to be staged April 11-13

Violette (Haiti) vs Club León (Mexico)

Motagua (Honduras) vs Tigres UANL (Mexico)

Vancouver Whitecaps (Canada) vs LAFC (USA)

Atlas (Mexico) vs Philadelphia Union (USA)